Smoke and Mirrors
by Ruani
Summary: There was very little in this world that she cared for. What she did care for she was willing to die for. Victoria was another kid that needing saving. Unfortunately that meant getting shot and stabbed. Not to mention the bald guy that keeps getting in the way. Blue thought she'd left this life in her rear view. Once again she was proven wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**_I'm nuts, baby, I'm mad,_**  
 ** _The craziest friend that you've ever had_**  
 ** _You think I'm psycho, you think I'm gone_**  
 ** _Tell the psychiatrist something is wrong_**  
 ** _Over the bend, entirely bonkers_**  
 ** _You like me best when I'm off my rocker_**  
 ** _Tell you a secret, I'm not alarmed_**  
 ** _So what if I'm crazy? The best people are_**

* * *

Blue paused mid step and looked up at the sky. Deep rolling thunder made the pavement under her sneakers vibrate ever so slightly. Mismatched eyes narrowed as she stared almost threateningly at the dark clouds that had been hanging over the city all day. As if to prove a point the pressure shifted slightly, and one lone raindrop landed on her cheek. There was a pause before the sky just opened up with rain.

"Son of a.."

Groaning she flipped her hood up. Fat lot of good that would do her seeing as the black material was cotton. Within minutes of walking down the deserted sidewalk she was soaked to the bone. Honestly she could have dealt with her clothing sponging up the moisture. What irritated the piss out of her was how quickly the sidewalk filled with water. Ankle deep bull shit. No one should have to deal with wet socks.

Ducking her head she hurried along. All day she'd been running around the city doing jobs. She'd been really hopeful this storm would pass over. Obviously mother nature had to wait until she got off to unleash hell. The worst part was it wasn't cold enough to turn the rain into snow, but it sure as hell was cold enough to count.

Stuffing her hands into her pockets Blue ran her fingers over the wad of cash waiting to be delivered. She'd already stopped by her 'home' to hide what she was putting aside for herself, but the majority of what she earned needed to be dropped off at Rosewood. Not that Sister Mary or Padre would take it. That's what donation boxes were for. She'd drop by like normal to help out for a few hours before wandering home. Hopefully by then this weather would have cleared up

Knowing her luck…

* * *

"You stupid girl!" the motherly voice scolded her as she slipped into the foyer. Sister Mary's cheeks turned red at the sight of her. "You'll catch your death."

Not likely.

"In all the time that you've known me have I ever gotten sick?" Blue pulled her jacket off. Having deposited the five hundred in the donation box she didn't have to worry about someone taking it. Underneath her black long sleeve was just as wet. Grinning the girl opened her arms to hug the older woman.

"Oh no you don't! Go dry off! You're leaving puddles on the floor!" hands pushed her towards a bathroom. Blue laughed.

"Fine! I expect a hug when I get out though!" that earned her a scoff.

"You're lucky I don't have you scrub the floors." was the last thing she heard before the Sister's voice was muffled by a closed door. Stripping to her underwear Blue waited for the 'plop' that was a towel and spare clothes being set in front of the door.

"Thank you!" she yelled down the hall as Sister Mary's skirts swished around a corner. With her wet clothes in the sink Blue used the worn scratchy towel to dry off. Bending over she flipped her short black hair over and ruffled it until water no longer dripped from the end. By the time she pulled on some generic grey sweats and black t-shirt she could feel warmth seeping back into her skin.

Stepping back into the hall Blue took a moment to bask in familiarity. Downstairs was always so quiet. Before she left her favorite thing to do was sit at the bottom of the stairs and read a book. From there she could hear the Sisters doing dishes in the kitchen. Upstairs the younger kids were giggling and getting ready for bed.

She really did miss this place.

That had been years ago. She most definitely was not the same scared kid wandering the streets of Chicago. Four years had taught her plenty. In retrospect none of it had been as bad as _before_. Nothing would be as bad as _before_. Phantom pain clawed at her back like a provoked entity. Palm flat she rubbed the opposite wrist. The worn glass bead bracelet helped her calm her nerves.

"Clothes." the sister came around the corner and held out an expectant hand. Grinning like a fool Blue swept the woman up in a bear hug. Rocking back on her heels she picked the older woman up and spun once. "YOUNG LADY!"

"I told you I would get my hug!" she snickered. Walking by the older woman she sorted her wet clothing into the appropriate piles for laundry. "Besides you love it! Why else would you let me keep coming back!"

"Don't start with me." mock anger, but there was something else. Eyes kept flitting back and forth between the windows and the door. There was a redness in her eyes that proved that she needed to sleep. Blue frowned.

"Has someone been bothering you?" she asked. Heat curled in the center of her chest.

"Nothing of the sort. Just had a late drop off was all." the woman grabbed the fist Blue was now clenching at her side. Smiling a strained smile she patted the top of her fist and then her cheek. "That being said. There is a young lady up stairs that needs some help settling in. Would you mind taking that up to her. I imagine she could do with a friend."

Craning her neck the dark haired girl eyeballed the tray of food sitting on the table. The serving was enough for two. Hot soup and two cans of Dr. Pepper. Not a huge fan of her choice of drinks, but the caffeine wouldn't hurt. Not to mention giving pop to a kid means this had to be a serious problem. Sister reserved the stuff for special cases.

"Sure thing, but before I head up I heard Ralphie got adopted. Good people?" Blue picked up the tray and started towards the stairs.

"Always good people. They even brought him a little lab when they picked him up. I have a feeling they'll spoil him rotten. If you want to go say hi they're up at Lakeview." they both know she'd never drop in. The last thing that kid needed in his life was her showing up and muddying the water. She was just happy to hear he'd ended up in a good home.

"You should head to bed, Sister. I'll lock up when I leave." a soft smile. A dismissive hand waived at her as the nun started back towards the laundry.

* * *

"Knock knock!" was the only warning she gave before opening the door. "I bring sustenance and the promise of a caffeine buzz."

Sitting on the bed was a girl that looked to be about fifteen or so. Blue felt her heart sink. Teenagers didn't just get abandoned at a orphanage. Normally someone her age was here because her parents were dead. No parents. No close relatives. The entire idea was depressing as hell. Dark mossy green eyes looked up at her. Like the sister, the whites of the girl's eyes were red and strained. Be it from fatigue or crying, Blue didn't know.

"Ooone for you." she balanced the tray in one hand and handed her a bowl of soup and can of pop. Brows pinched together, but the girl took the offered items. Humming to herself the she scooted onto the foot of the bed, folding her legs to hold her drink in a more secure manner. "Aaaand the rest for me."

For a long minute the two of them sat in silence. Noisily Blue went about eating her soup, which to her delight turned out to be chicken and wild rice. Dealing with younger kids was a lot easier. They either cried or wanted to be your friend. This girl on the other hand. Already she can feel those eyes scrutinizing her. Sizing her up. Assessing her.

"It's gonna get cold you know." she pointed with her spoon. "Then you're not going to eat it, and Sister's gonna have my ass."

"What?!" the curse word seemed to throw the girl off. Blue raised an eyebrow.

"Did I stutter?" she laughed and cracked open the can of Dr. Pepper. The younger girl jumped ever so slightly at the noise. "Come on, down the hatch so I don't get in trouble."

"Who are you?"

"I imagine you want an actual answer so I'll turn off my snark for a moment." she was already done with her bowl. Leaning forward she placed it on the floor. "The name's Blue. I help the nuns out when I can. What's your name?"

A series of emotions filtered across her was the first to walk across the stage. Normal enough. Teenagers were always paranoid about something. Next was fear. That one interested Blue. They weren't on the streets. They were nice and safe in the walls of the orphanage. Heat and all. What was there to be scared of?

"I can get pretty creative with nicknames. So unless you want to be at my mercy…"

"Victoria. My name is Victoria." the words were rushed. Blue gave Victoria a cheeky grin.

"Still getting a nickname! Now get to eating, Vic." the younger girl made a face. Her little nose scrunched and her mouth twisted. "Nah I'm not a fan of that either. We'll call it a work in progress. Now eat! I'm gonna go check in on the littles, and when I get back that soup better be gone."

Blue hopped off the bed and pointed at the bowl before slipping out of the room.

* * *

"Booooo!" an adorably sleepy voice called to her as she opened the door to the room across the hall. One little head popped up from a thick blue comforter.

"Hey, Ollie, sleeping with out the night light now?" she crooned to the little girl. Oliva held up a brown bear proudly. A hand me down, easily identified by the missing right eye and sewn up patches.

"Spot keeps the munsters away. Just like you said!" the little girl said happily.

"You're still a big baby." across the room a boy about the same age chimed in. Rolling her eyes she walked over and ruffled his hair. That earned her a groan.

"Am not!"

"Are too! Only babies sleep with aminals."

"Be nice J.J" Blue chided the little boy before sitting on the edge of his bed. "Spot does a lot of hard work keeping you both safe from nasty things."

"Like the scary man!" Olivia chimed in.

"Scary man?"

"Yeah! He was really really tall!"

"And he didn't have any hair!" J.J confirmed wide eyed.

"He brought that new girl! We think she's a spy!" Oliva's imagination running away with her again. Blue giggled at their exuberance.

"What makes you think that?!" a gasp to encourage them.

"Well he wore the fancy clothes. You know, like the guys in that alein movie we watched." J.J held up a hand and made a weird motion with his hand. "The one where they used the flash to make people forget things?"

"Men in Black?"

"Yeah, that one!" both of them nodded excitedly.

"So, because he was wearing fancy clothes she's a spy."

"Duh!"

"You guys are silly. Don't let Sister Mary hear you saying this!" a wink and she patted J.J's leg. "Otherwise she won't let me bring movies again. Keep it a secret okay?"

More nods.

"Alright now go to bed. I'm going to go do recon on 'the spy', okay?"

* * *

"Vicky!" the door swung open. Blue paused under the door frame. "Yeah, that one's no good either. How's that soup?"

Victoria tilted the bowl showing her the emptiness. After stretching her arms over her head, sighing happily as joints popped, Blue flashed the girl a thumbs up. Lazily she meandered towards the bed holding her other hand out. Collecting the dirty dishes she placed everything on a dresser.

"Do you work here?" Victoria asked. A fair enough question.

"Nah, well, not officially." Blue leaned against the dresser. "I help out Sister Mary when I can. Do my best to repay her for raising me."

"Oh, you used to live here?"

"Since I was fourteen." hands rested on her thighs and she rubbed her bracelet.

"What happened to your parents?" a flush of color his her cheeks. "I'm sorry. That was.."

"Chill, V, HA there it is!" a moment of celebration for finding a good nickname before she continued. "Its old news. My parents died about a year before I showed up here. Sister Mary found me wandering around the street half frozen, and bada boom bada bam I became a Rosewoodian."

"That must have been terrible." a pause to magnify the awkwardness. Not that Blue minded. Talking was better than silence. " about now?"

"I mostly do courier work. Running messages and delivering things for people." carefully fabricated lies. She was so used to telling them that sometimes she almost believed them. "Hours tend to very. Like tonight… Haven't worked this late in a long time."

"Sounds… exciting?" Blue couldn't help but laugh. Victoria seemed nice enough, but her social skill were lacking.

"It has it's moments."

Getting shot at.

Brawls…

Pervs…

"How about you? Any crazy hobbies before you ended up here?" Victoria had started to relax. This particular question made her tense. Blue didn't notice though. She was just trying to keep the conversation going.

"Not really. I was homeschooled. My guardian didn't let me out much." a pause and she looked off at the wall. "I was sheltered. I've never even watched t.v"

"WHOA. WHOA. WHOA." Blue held up a hand. "You're telling me you've never had the opportunity.. No, the HONOR, of watching Rush Hour?"

"I don't even know what that is."

"Be still my beating heart. I think I'm going to die." Dramatically she slumped against the dresser holding her chest. Victoria gave a quiet laugh. After holding the pose just for a moment Blue sobered up. "Seriously you know what this means right?"

"No?"

"It means we're having an intervention." Blue nodded to herself. "You my friend are going to have your first movie night tomorrow when I get done with my runs. Hell, I'm sure the littles will be excited too. I'm thinking a Rush Hour marathon. How does that sound?"

"Good!" Eyes wide Victoria looked genuinely excited.

"It's settled then. I'll bring popcorn and everything! That being said I need to get going. I'll see you tomorrow, V!"


	2. Chapter 2

They send me away to find them a fortune  
A chest filled with diamonds and gold  
The house was awake  
With shadows and monsters  
The hallways they echoed and groaned

* * *

There wasn't enough time in the day, that much Blue was sure couldn't have been asleep more than three hours, though it felt like ten minutes, when her phone went off. For a moment she just lay there, contemplating if she really wanted to deal with whomever decided to bug her. She knew better. Even though her bed, a pallet with a threadbare mattress on top, was starting to feel warm she knew she had to pick up. No matter what she'd have to deal with that high pitch ring echoing off her the walls of her empty apartment until she picked up.

"Mmm, yeah?" her half moaned answer as she flipped open her archaic phone and pushed it to her ear.

"OI! Get your ass up, lazy! Money's rolled into town." A way to happy voice all but sang over the line. Another groan rumbled out of her throat. Rolling onto her back she looked out the window to see little pale lines of morning light shining through.

"Key, man, what time is it?"

"Money time! The only important time! Up, up, up!" he was definitely not motivating her to move from her pallet. "Some high rollers showed up in town. Ma's gathering everyone. Lots of work to be done, which means money! You and I both know you need to breath some life into that shit hole you live in. Come on! You got twenty minutes!"

With that the line went quiet. Blue let her hand fall to the side. A frown pushed at her lips. Her apartment wasn't that bad. Sure the only thing that filled it was her bed and pile of clothes in the corner, but was that a bad thing? What was the point of filling her current home with little knick knacks and useless items if she would have to leave them at any given moment? That didn't make sense to her.

She couldn't turn down money. She couldn't turn down Ma. Huffing she sat up and threw over her blanket. Bare feet touched cold concrete floor, but even that couldn't push her into full awareness. Numbly she pulled on a black long sleeve shirt and loose fitting cargo pants the same color. That was the uniform of a courier. Black, black, black. The only thing that deviated the scheme was her hoody. The black garment popped with blue on the hood. The reason for her name.

Pushing her feet into (hold your horses ladies and gents) black trainers she grabbed a bottle of water and headed out the door. Above her head the sky was still grey and heavy with the promise of rain. Wind kicked up around her legs, and she zipped her jacket to keep the cold away. Glancing at her flip phone the time read 7:09 a.m. The streets were already busy with cars and pedestrians as they headed to work. Blue watched them boredly as she walked. None of them even suspected what was really happening in this city. The drugs. The gangs. During the day the city looked so normal. Sighing she pushed through the crowd.

She couldn't be late.

* * *

Key wasn't a very tall man. Hell, Blue hesitated to even consider him a man. Fresh out of high school the baby faced kid was only a few inches taller than her five foot four. He was waiting for her just inside of The Nest. Like her he was covered head to toe in black. Instead of a zip up hoodie he wore a simple pull over. He was a lot darker than she was, and part of her envied him for his skin. He was far harder to see at night. The less noticeable you were the better in her opinion.

"Ma's briefing the Swallows. Hawks are next and then Crow pairs. From the sounds of it we are going to get some pretty good runs." the words were out of his mouth and five seconds later ten or so people came walking out of a rather cramped hallway. Unlike Key and her they wore shades of dark grey. Swallows, entry level couriers. People who hadn't quite proven themselves, but were capable enough to get from point A to point B delivering meaningless parcels.

Hawks were next. An array of browns for those moving up in the 'business'. From there the next step up was Crow. Best of the best. Never caught. Never thieves and gatherers of information. A circle of the elite that were trusted with some of the nastiest secrets in the underworld. Not that she knew any of them. Never read a message. Not knowing was better than knowing.

"Some crazy shit must be going down.." Key kept rambling on. Blue was still in the process of trying to to wake up. "'ey! Partner! You paying any attention?"

"Yeah, yeah. Give me a minute." she yawned and stretched her arms over her head. Glorious little pops sounded down her spine. She went to pop her knuckles when something terrible struck her. "Gloves… I forgot my fucking gloves! This is your fault!"

"There she is! Hey!" he hopped away as she took a swing at his shoulder. "What the hell did I do?"

"Woke me up!" she grumbled.

"Well someone had to do it. Better me than Mama Bird." Key rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. From there they sunk into a familiar routine. Blue pulled her hood over her head to block out the stares from other around her. Lack of sleep didn't keep her from being acutely aware of everyone. This was a safe place, but that would never keep her from being paranoid.

Soon enough the Hawks came out. Faces, young and old, looked bright with the promise of a decent payday. She remembered those days. A sharp tap on the screen of his smart phone, and Key shut off the game he was playing. Pocketing the device he went to tug on her arm. Like normal she brushed the gesture off and walked into Ma's office.

"Looks like I owe you twenty buck, Key." Ma said taking a drag of her cigarette. "Didn't think you'd be able to wake her ass up before noon."

"I'm not _that_ bad." Blue grumbled. This caused the older woman to laugh. Ma, or Katherine Cardoso, immigrated from Brazil. She was in her prime a very attractive woman. Sixty years had taken its toll on her. On her face above a sharp cheekbone was a scar. Long black hair streaked with grey was braided tightly and thrown over her shoulder. Laugh lines were scratched in the corners of her eyes. For the most part Ma was a rather humorous old lady. Just don't end up on her shit list.

"Oh my cute little _sombra,_ moody as ever I see." Blue huffed and pouted. She was neither cute nor moody. "Here I thought you'd be happy with the task I'm about to give you. It's a big one. High risk, high reward."

Blue let herself fall into one of the worn arm chairs in the corner of the room. Legs draped over one arm while her back pressed against the other. Key sat at the foot looking far to excited for his own good. Ma rummaged around her desk before pulling out some manila folders. Inwardly Blue groaned. There was never just one task. From the looks of it this was going to take all day.

"Plenty of normal stuff. Messages to be run. You could probably split them between the two of you. Get it done in half the time." she suggested even though she knew that was their normal method. "One job requires your special skills, _sombra_. Need you to pick something up from a friend."

By pick up she meant steal.

"I can't take Key?" she was already shaking her head no. Blue felt a cold weight settle in her stomach. Every instinct told her this was bad bad bad. Ma had never done anything intentionally to put her in danger. In fact, the older woman was quite good at assigning tasks to the right people.

"Nope. This particular job is going to require stealth." Key scoffed and pouted. "We all know what happened the last time he tried."

Oh did she remember.

"It was ONE time!" he complained.

"Yeah, and a bullet in my leg." Blue slapped the back of his head. "Just because I can take a beating doesn't mean it's fun. Getting shot _hurts._ "

"All I hear is you complaining. You survived."

"I swear to god I will shoot you myself. Then we will see who's complaining." another push to the back of his head.

"Don't look at me." Ma said when Key gave her a look that pleaded for help. "You're the one with two left feet."

"Do I even get back up?" Blue whined. She didn't mind working alone, but it was always nice to have another Crow watching your back.

"Yes, yes." She waved a dismissive hand. "All of the information is in your folder. I'll be briefing your partner later. Other than that, get to work! The sooner you finish the sooner you get paid."

Neither of them could argue with that.

* * *

By the time the sun was starting to go down Blue was awake, but the need for sleep tugged at her eyes. She wanted to sleep. More so now then when when the day had first started. Key had done well to keep her spirits high. Adversity seemed to be the theme of their day unfortunately. Their last delivery had been for the owner of a local strip club. Lecherous piece of shit he was. He'd made a few passes at her. Offered her a job. Told her she wasn't cut out for what she was doing. Women do better undressing.

Whooo buddy….

She'd stayed professional though.

"The fuck does that guy know." Key was fuming. "Fucking put you on a pole. You're more likely to rip some one's throat out. Does he even know what the fuck we do."

"He's just an idiot gangster, Key. Don't let him get under your skin." she took a bite of her quesadilla. The warmth seeped into her fingertips turning them red. Cheese erupted and she had to twirl the stringy bits around her fingers to keep it from hitting her clothes. Still chewing on the big bite she continued talking. "Besides no one touches couriers. That the deal."

"Swallows and Hawks, babe." he crumpled up the paper that had housed his burrito into a little ball. Leaning back he threw it at a trashcan. The paper bounced and rolled onto the pavement. "Shit… You know what I mean though. We all deliver messages, but you and I both know there ain't enough hazardous pay in the world to cover the shit we go through."

"Only if you get caught. That's why your ass only comes along when muscle is needed." a couple more bites of her dinner. "You're gonna pick that shit up."

"Yeah, yeah." he sighed and wandered over to the trash can. "Guy knocks over a vase one time."

"Need I remind you that the place was crawling with hired people with guns. Guns that were trying to keep us from stealing that information." she took the final bite and sighed happily leaning back against the bench.

Fuck, she was tired.

"I reeeally don't want to do this." she whined. Balling up her trash she pouted and held it out to Key. With a roll of the eyes he took it from her and deposited it in the trash. Arms wrapped around his chest and he cracked his back. After a moment he collapsed next to her.

"What's the job anyway?" he curled an arm around her shoulder. Glad for the warmth she leaned into him.

"Steal some shit from some doctor. Ma wants whatever he's brewing. Probably a new drug or something." she let her eyes slide shut enjoying the small calm moment.

* * *

A couple things about this particular job were adding to her spectacular mood for today. One, the location was like something out of a nightmare. One of her nightmares, at least. On the outside it looked like a normal pharmaceutical building. Unassuming enough lobby where people in white coats walked in and out. The occasional business man with a briefcase would push by the glass doors. She knew what happened behind the smiling face of the guard. She _knew_ what _really_ went on behind doors like that.

The second little tid bit that was royally pissing her off was the fact her partner had yet to show up. She'd been waiting over an hour for this place to close, and the Crow had yet to show up. He or she was going to get an earful when they showed up. An irritated growl rumbled in her chest as she glanced at her watch one final time. Tugging the half mask around her neck up and over her nose she gave another look around.

No one to be seen.

She moved faster on her own anyway.

Twenty minutes of climbing and crawling finally landed her inside of the building. Ammonia hit her nose like a punch in the face. Blue eyes moistened as the cold sterile air assaulted them. She stayed crouched in the middle of a hallway, under the air duct she'd just dropped from. Focusing on the dim hallway she let her eyes adjust. For a good few minutes she just crouched there listening.

Second floor

Lab 6

That was where she needed to go. Small miracle that the building was only two stories. There was probably a basement, but she didn't care about that. She didn't want to _think_ about that. She'd entered from the roof so she was quite happy to find herself on the floor she needed. Now she just needed to find the lab.

Easy enough. Everyone was gone for the day. Friday night rarely sees overtime. Blue silently celebrated the small victory. This was far easier than stealing from some mobster. The 'lab' was pretty small. There were lots of vials and containers filled with different liquids. Part of her was puzzled at his. In her mind the picture of a medical table with straps flashed.

Needles. Needles. Needles.

Where are the needles.

Her heartbeat quickened as she searched the room for those vile things. Content there were none near her she went to searching for the package she was sent for. Her orders, which had been burned after she committed it to memory, said she was after Isotope 72. Whatever the fuck that was. The description said it would be a small container. That wasn't saying much seeing as EVERYTHING was in a small container.

Finally she found it in what looked like a fridge. The liquid inside the vials looked like it was glowing. Blue assumed it was just the way the green stuff was effected by the light. As long as it didn't explode. Stashing the vials in her bag, making sure to wrap them in case things got crazy, she looked around the dark lab a little paranoid.

This job was way too easy.

Not deciding to press her luck she hurried into the hall and back into the ventilation system. Getting out was far easier than getting in. She made good time, and two minutes later she was hopping off the fire escape and into a dark alley. The moment her trainers hit the ground a cold feeling settled in her stomach. Looking over her shoulder she saw the Crow she'd been waiting on earlier.

"Look who decided to show the fuck up." she snapped. He was gigantic, but her irritation with him had her ignoring the warning bells going off in her head.

"Did you get it?" he asked. She huffed and pushed by him.

"That's what you want to say to me? Do you know how long I waited?" she fumed crossing an empty street into another alley. He stayed right on her tail.

"Did you get it?" he said it a little bit in the shadows Blue pulled her backpack off and threw it at reflexes, he caught the bag with ease. Immediately he opened it and examined the contents.

"Of course I fucking got it. I'm the best at what I fucking do idiot." taking out her anger on this guy felt pretty good. "I did the hard work so you can take your ass and run it back to Ma. Or do you think you need an escort for that?"

"That won't be necessary." She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Of course not, I was being sarc-" she didn't see him pull the gun. She felt the three shots hit her in the chest. She heard the the muffled sound of gunfire. A sound no one would hear. Red liquid stains blossomed on her chest. The pain was something she could only describe as being stabbed with hot iron.

 _Son of a Bitch_

Knees hit pavement and she slumped back against the wall behind her. Darkness edged in on her vision. A breath rattled from her lungs. If she could have she would have flipped him off. Instead her head dropped forward. The Crow walked away with her bag leaving her to die. A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth as one last thought crossed her mind.

 _Twenty Three..._


	3. Chapter 3

**_What follows after rainy days: Find hope in rainbows_**

 ** _What glimmers in a puddle deep: Find hope in afterglow_**

 ** _Open your eyes, open your eyes_**

 ** _Then a rusted gear jittering my ear starting low to hear_**

 ** _Try and connect_**

* * *

A cold bullet pressed against the skin of her stomach, cradled by the tight fabric of her shirt. The sensation was annoying. The second bullet was still partially embedded in the skin just under her clavicle. Blue's head was still tilted forward. Just above the neat little hole she could make out the silver nugget protruding from her skin. Gingerly she prodded it with her fingers. A sharp sting pushed her mind further away from the fog of sleep. Taking a deep breath she pressed down on the skin surrounding the bullet. After several attempts to pinch it she managed a decent grip on the piece of metal. In one quick moment she jerked it out of her body.

That wasn't the painful part.

Painful was the burn of skin stitching back together. She'd been blissfully asleep when the other two wounds healed, but she would have to suffer this one. She'd say it was like being stabbed with a hot iron, but she had felt that pain before. This was far worse. Toes curled and her muscles spasmed involuntarily as the half inch hole in her chest closed. Eyes rolled back in her head. Fingers clawed at the concrete below her. The back of her head pressed against the building as her back arched. Air got caught in her throat

The whole ordeal lasted a few minutes. Long enough in her opinion. When it passed she was left gasping for air. Choking out a bitter laugh she pushed herself up right. Energy flooded her body. She felt _alive_. That was funny because she was dead moment ago. Literally dead. Heart stopped. No one home. Dead.

She hated dead.

"God dammit." she shouted when she looked at her watch. Bright green numbers flashed 2:07 A.M. She'd lost four hours. No, she'd lost time and her fucking cargo. She needed to get back to the next. Ma was probably pissed. The older woman was going to be even more pissed when she found out one of her Crows was either dead or a traitor.

Huffing she rocked to her feet. Bullets clinked on the ground as they fell from her lap. Only two of them. The third was stuck in the wall behind her. Clicking her tongue she looked down at her shirt. Black cotton was now stiff with her dried blood. Her skin itched. She wanted a shower. She needed food. Grabbing the ends of her hood she zipped it up to cover herself.

"Not my hood. You have to be…" she let out an aggravated groan as she poked the one hole in her blue hood. That jackass owed her a hoodie.

* * *

A rather devilish looking Hawk sat in the chair across from Ma. He was leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. Ma looked at him like he was a piece of meat. She didn't blame the woman. He was cute in a frat boy kind of way. Teeth were too white and straight. His jaw was square and strong. Even his sandy hair had that 'I just rolled out of bed look'. The old cougar had her prey insight, and normally Blue did good to stay the hell out of the way.

"Where the hell have you been?" Ma forgot about her eye candy for a moment. Dark eyes narrowed on her, and Blue felt the woman's fury. She didn't care. Her own anger could probably rival the old woman's. Blue didn't feel like sharing this information with present company. Crossing her arms over her chest, which was still sore, she glared at the Hawk.

"I have a huge craving for a hot dog and chili fries. Why don't you go fetch me some, brownie." he didn't like that. His shoulders squared up.

"Excuse me?"

"Did I fucking stutter?" she snapped. "Go! Stretch your wings. You can get in her pants later. Until then get me my damn food and let the grown ups talk."

God, did she enjoy pulling rank. Even with Ma sitting right there she had every right to order the Hawk around. There had to be a perk for getting shot at, right? Stepping to the side she let him brush by. Once he was clear of the room she kicked the door shut.

"We have a problem, and I'm not talking about me cockblocking." she planted her butt in one of the chairs.

"What are you talking about, _sombra_?" her tone was clipped. "There's no shame in failing a mission."

"I didn't fail anything. That Crow you sent to me put three in my chest. He shot to _kill_ me." Ma knew about her little talent. Blue wasn't worried about that. What she was worried about was another Crow getting shot. "Why the hell would he shoot me? If he wanted the payday that bad he could of had it."

"Shot you? Why would… Shade would never.." the old woman's brow furrowed. "He didn't cash in, _sombra_. I figured the two of you would come back eventually with some crazy excuse."

"Since when have I ever failed or given you an excuse. This job wasn't hard. This job was actually insanely easy. What I want to know is why tall and bald decided to shoot me."

"What. No. Shade is tall, but he's got dark hair. There is no way he shaved it. I saw it this morning before he left the house." she trailed off. The irritated look on her face melted into worry.

"What are you not telling me Mama Bird?"

"It's not important." a lie Blue could see from the way her jaw clenched. "I want a full description of this person."

"Well, seeing as it was dark, and I was in the process of being shot…" Blue propped her chin onto the palm of her hand. Closing her eyes she tried to recall the image in her mind."Tall as fuck. Bald. Blue eyes. Dressed like a Crow. To be honest I remember more about the damn guns then him. Silver pistol. A Colt from the looks. Fancy. Nothing you would see a thug running around with. Far too shiny and clean. He takes care of it."

"That doesn't do me a lot of good, _Sombra._ " she rubbed her eyes and picked up her phone. Instinctively she reached to her hip for her bag. Right, he had taken that. So she not only needed a new hoodie, but now she needed a phone and a bag. This day kept getting better. Someone picked up on the other end of the line.

"Call all the Crows and Hawks in. We've a cuckoo in the nest. Keep the Swallows out. No need to worry about them.. Yes.. yes.. I _know_ how much money we'll lose. Tell the Swallows to keep their heads down. Simple missions only. I didn't ask what you thought. Just get it done." and angry tap to the smart phone's screen.

"I want half of what I was to be paid." Blue said. Ma lifted an eyebrow. "I deserve at least that much and you know it."

"Only because you are my favorite." a defeated sigh. This was not an argument the older woman would win. She slid open a draw and Blue heard the slips of paper sliding against each other. A rubber band snapped and a thick roll of cash was handed to her. "A grand for your troubles."

"Yey me." Blue plucked the roll from the woman's hands. Stuffing into her pocket she turned towards the door.

"Keep your head down, _Sombra_. Remember. You're supposed to be dead." Blue waved a hand dismissively. The door opened for her, and the Hawk from earlier came in with her requested food. Scooping up her food she took a bite of the hot dog. Patting him on the head she spoke through full cheeks.

"Thanks!"

* * *

Paranoia nagged at the back of her brain. Her eyes watched the shadows as she left the Nest. She hadn't felt this way in a long time. Alarms were going off in her mind. A voice in her head kept repeating the same phrases over and over again.

 _They know. They know._

 _They're coming. Have to hide._

 _Can't go back._

She needed to sleep. She needed to sleep bad. Going back to her apartment was out of the question so she went to the only place she remembered feeling safe. There was a courtyard that connected the orphanage to the church. In the middle of it was a rather tall willow tree. Before she knew it Blue was climbing the branches and settling in to take a nap.

"Why are you in a tree?" the voice startled her out of the dreamless sleep. Blue jerked hard and reached for something to fight with. All her hands found were leaves and twigs. After a brief moment of disorientation she remembered where she was. Wide eyed she glanced down to see Victoria staring up at her.

"Uh.. cause its the coolest place to sleep? Makes me feel like an elf. Minus the pointy ears and flowing blonde hair." Blue was met with a blank stare. "You know we really need to work on your pop culture references."

After double checking to make sure her hoodie was zipped, less she scare the girl with bullet holes, Blue dropped out of the tree. Still a bit weak from healing her legs gave out and she dropped unceremoniously on her ass.

"Are you okay?" Victoria asked looking genuinely worried. Blue laughed and rubbed her bum.

"Yeah. Not the first time I've fallen out of the tree. Probably won't be the last." she brushed her hands on her pants and then stood up.

"Are you homeless?"

"Ouch. I guess I do look the part right now." no blood on her hoodie, but it definitely looked worn. "Just had a rough night last night. This was closer than my apartment, and Sister doesn't seem to mind. Speaking of.. where is everyone?"

"Zoo. I'm not allowed to go." she sounded sad. Blue frowned.

"Well that's boring anyway. Who want to look at a bunch of caged animals. Kind of depressing when you think about it." her voice trailed off awkwardly. They stood there for a moment in silence. Then her stomach rumbled loudly. "I got a better idea anyway. Why don't we go get some pizza."

"I'm not supposed to leave…" she bit her lip, and Blue felt a wave of guilt for what she was about to do.

"I can show you how I used to sneak out all the time." she wasn't trying to get her in trouble, but the girl deserved a bit of fun. Being an orphan sucked. "Don't worry Sister Mary will blame it on me, and she can't stay mad at me. Let's go get some pizza."

Surprisingly Victoria was very agile. Getting out of the orphanage involved scaling a few stone walls. Blue imagined she'd have to boost the girl over walls or pull her up an over them. Victoria matched her step for step. She was a bit slower, but Blue attributed that to the jeans and flat shoes she was wearing. The thought struck her that the young girl would make a great Crow one day. Especially if she could mentor her.

What a selfish thought.

Victoria could do better.

* * *

"It's so tall!" Victoria's head was tilted all the way back as she looked at the top of the giant building that conquered the Chicago skyline. Her eyes were wide with wonder. Blue couldn't help but smile and ruffle her hair.

"Just the Sears Tower, V-baby." She glanced at the top of the tower. "Just a bunch of suits and tourists. Nothing too interesting. There are definitely better parts to Chicago."

"Really?" bright eyes turned to her. Blue felt startled by the naivety she saw there. "Can we see them?"

"Sure thing, I know a great place where we can grab a slice or two. Then we can go see the fountain." she checked her watch and glanced around. It was creeping up on noon. If they stuck to public places they'd be fine.

"What's going on over there? What are they doing?" A hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards a gathered group of music filled Blue's ears, and she rolled her eyes. Victoria was acting like a complete tourist right now. It was pretty adorable.

A guy was sitting on a bench with guitar. His friend at his feet had some crude drums that he beat on with his hands. They weren't half bad. In front of them the guitar case had been left open and dirty dollar bills and coins were scattered throughout it. Ten or so people had gathered around to listen. Most of them were tourists and had the same enthusiasm Victoria showed.

"Never seen a street show before?" the young girl was swaying back and forth to the music. Another sharp pang in her belly reminded her of her hunger. She ignored it for the sake of Victoria's enjoyment. After fifteen or so minutes Blue fished a twenty out of her pocket. Victoria looked confused.

"Go drop it in the case." she nodded and pushed between people. With a smile she dropped the twenty in the case before running back over.

"What next?"

"Now we head to Sal's for the best deep dish in Chicago!"

* * *

Forty five minutes later they were sitting on a bench. Behind them the Buckingham Fountain splashed loudly. Victoria sat on the right and Blue the left with the pizza box between them. Blue was on her fourth slice. A product of her bodies need to recoup the energy she lost while healing. Victoria was munching happily on her second slice of pepperoni pizza.

"Why did they build it?" she asked between bites? Blue twisted in her seat to look at the fountain.

"Some rich woman had it built when her brother died." Blue eyed another slice. She was starting to feel normal again. The paranoia was fading. Victoria's happiness was infectious.

"I like the horses." she said. Blue resisted the urge to pick up her fifth slice. Instead she stood and stretched her arms over her head. V's eyes stayed on the fountain. A grunt of agreement came from the back of her throat as she picked up her fifth slice. For a long time they sat there in a comfortable silence. Victoria watched the people around them with an odd sense of wonderment. Blue was as relaxed as she could be. Muted paranoia didn't mean no paranoia. She leaned against the wooden bench and watched people in a much more critical way.

"So, why didn't Sister Mary want you going out with the others? I can't imagine you did something terrible to get punished." she finished her slice and closed her eyes for a brief moment. Her hand rubbed a sore spot on her chest.

"My….guardian is very.. protective of me." she looked down at her lap. "Coming out here might be a bad idea. I could be causing him a lot of trouble."

Uh oh. There was the regret. V's eyes were wide as she stared at the half eaten slice of pizza. Blue patted her shoulder and gave her the most reassuring smile she could muster.

"Alright, let's go ahead and head back. We've had our fun, yeah?" she honestly wanted to get her back before she started to over think their little adventure. No need for her to feel guilty over something that didn't happen. "If your 'guardian' gets pissy I'll bop him on the nose."

"I don't think he'd appreciate that." she mumbled.

"That's the point, V-baby. That's the point."


End file.
